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July 20, 2017

Crabs, Clams, and Confabulation

Wednesday I had the distinct honor and privilege of attending the 41st Annual. J. Millard Tawes crab and clam feast in beautiful Crisfield, MD on the lower Eastern Shore. A fundraiser for the local Chamber of Commerce, the event simply known as "Tawes" doesn't just attract a thousand or so locals, it attracts politicians, political interests, activists, pundits, and of course, candidates.

I went with my son, as I am showing him the hows on becoming involved in local and state politics. The trip took a little more than three hours and was held on some lovely grounds in Crisfield. It was a sunny, hot day-- perfect for Maryland seafood and Maryland political conversation.

And the event exceeded expectations on both counts. First, the food. Oh, the crabs were heavy succulent, delicious, the mustard (yes, I'm one of those) but a little smoky, and doubtless these creatures were scurrying on the floor of the waters off Crisfield several hours prior. Similarly, the fried and raw clams had no parallel.

A ham and egger embarrassed himself on Facebook by razzing the "fine Maryland seafood" comment I made on Facebook about this event. This hapless cheesesteak chomper embarrassed seven generations prior and following of his family by that remark. Because, fact is, if it came from the Chesapeake Bay, it IS fine Maryland seafood! I don't care if it's delivered to be on cardboard trays. It was delicious.

And for side dishes, the Boardwalk fries, their sweet potato based counterpart, and most importantly, the Maryland sweet white corn were all at their best! Especially the corn-- juicy and tender!

Ahh, what of the politics? Yes, that. I did get to have substantive conversations with two of my favorite Democratic candidates for Governor-- Senator Rich Madaleno from Montgomery County and former Clinton and Obama aide Alec Ross, currently an attorney in Baltimore City. I became completely convinced that Rich Madaleno is prepared to become Governor from Day One and would be a thoughtful, progressive, innovative leader. I was similarly impressed by Alec Ross-- certainly, enough to read his book.

I also ran into a few other Maryland political notables, such as Howard County Democratic Central Committee member Jonathan Branch, Comptroller Peter Franchot, former Secretary of State John Willis, Maryland State Delegate Jeannie Haddaway, and others. HoCo didn't have a big show at Tawes this year, it seemed. I expect different in 2018. Although Cheesesteak Chomper is, sadly, a Howard Countian. I am protecting the identity because of the incredibly silly nature of the aforementioned comment.

This was my first Tawes and to answer the question if this is a political event masquerading as a crab feast or a crab feast that has become a political event, the answer is definitely more the latter. It's a four-hour return back to old-fashioned community-based politics in Maryland. A style that needs to never go away. And having attended a few of the Fifth District Democratic Club crab feasts in my time in HoCo, perhaps it's a style that can come back?